>> If I am wrong, perhaps the "unpaid editors for hire" could begin their own directory to offer their services to ODP users
You are wrong. First of all, "ODP users" in our book are not webmasters, but the public (the surfer). Secondly, the very place where you are posting your rant (this Forum) has been set up, and is managed, by ODP editors. A few of us are SEOs. And we offer here free advice to webmasters (as we do in many other webmaster boards). Or do you think that spending our time here (mostly repeating things which have been said a thousand times, and/or could be easily found reading the Guidelines, the submission notices, or in threads which are just 2 days old and are in the same page) is lucrative, too ?
Next one, please.